Italian Day on The Drive 2025: A Mille Baci Celebration of Heritage, Food & Community

📍 Commercial Drive, Vancouver’s Historic Little Italy
🗓 Sunday, June 8, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Website: www.italianday.ca

Celebrate 15 Years of Italian Day on The Drive

This June, Vancouver’s most iconic cultural street festival returns with even more heart, passion, and flavour than ever before! Italian Day on The Drive 2025 celebrates its 15-Year Anniversario with the heartfelt theme Mille Baci — meaning “a thousand kisses.” It’s not just a celebration, it’s a love letter to Italian culture, Vancouver’s Italo-Canadian community, and the shared joy of la dolce vita.

Since its revival in 2010, Italian Day has transformed Commercial Drive — Vancouver’s officially designated Little Italy— into a colourful, vibrant piazza-style celebration that draws hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life. This year, the festival promises a spectacular showcase of music, food, fashion, art, history, and activities for the whole famiglia.

🎉 What to Expect at Italian Day 2025

🍝 Feast Like You’re in Italy

Tutti festeggiando la dolce vita!
This year's festival delivers an extraordinary culinary journey down a 14-block stretch filled with mouthwatering delights. Enjoy authentic Italian street eats, al fresco dining, food trucks, and featured culinary attractions such as:

• Authentic Italian Table: A true taste of Italy with wine pairings, specialty cocktails, and imported delicacies.

• Italian Tapas & Craft Cocktails: Savour tapas-style plates, premium wines, and cocktails made to impress.

• Beverage Gardens: Enjoy Italian wine and craft beer in social outdoor seating areas.

🎶 Live Music, DJs & Dancing in the Streets

Experience seven performance intersections and vibrant stages — from Grandview Park to 7th Avenue — pulsating with:

• Live Bands & DJs playing Italian classics and global beats

• Street dancing and open-air parties

• Fashion Shows and roaming performers

• Vancouver Street Opera serenading you under the open sky

🎯 Games & Activities for All Ages

Whether you’re 5 or 85, there’s something for everyone! Join the festivities at family-friendly zones:

• 🎨 Children’s Zone: Face painting, games, crafts

• 🍝 Pasta-Eating Contest: A fan-favourite challenge!

• ⚽ Human Foosball & Soccer Games

• 🎡 Carnival-Style Games & Roaming Entertainers: Jugglers, living statues, and towering stilt walkers

🎁 Viva l’Italia Raffle – Win Big!

Feeling lucky? Enter the Viva l’Italia Raffle for a chance to win:

• ✈️ Roundtrip tickets for two to Italy with Turkish Airlines

• 🔥 A Fontana Forni Maestro 60 Pizza Oven

• 🛍️ A $2,000 Little Italy shopping spree

• ⚽ Whitecaps FC Prize Pack (12 tickets + autographed ball)

• 🎟️ And a thrilling 50/50 jackpot — prize pot may reach $20,000!

Tickets are available online and at the festival. Don’t miss out!

🏛 A Festival with Deep Roots

Italian Day is more than a celebration — it’s a tribute to over 70 years of Italian heritage in Vancouver. The Commercial Drive area flourished with post-WWII Italian immigrants who transformed the neighbourhood into the vibrant Little Italy we honour today.

Designated in 2016 as Vancouver’s Historic Little Italy, the area is still home to iconic Italian cafés, pastry shops, restaurants, tailors, and espresso bars. With a passionate community and rich traditions, the festival continues to be a symbol of unity, diversity, and cultural pride.

🕊 Italian Heritage Month

Held every June, Italian Heritage Month celebrates the legacy, hardships, and contributions of Italian Canadians. Presented in collaboration with Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre, the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada—West, the month includes art exhibitions, language programs, and cultural events — with Italian Day as the centrepiece celebration.

✨ Festival Amenities

• Seating Zones available throughout the Drive

• Bike Valet at 6th Avenue (West side)

• Phone Charging Station for attendees in need of a recharge

• Accessible Layouts and family-friendly routes

📍 Location & Getting There

Italian Day takes place on Commercial Drive, spanning 14 blocks from Venables Street to Grandview Cut. Plan to arrive early — this free event attracts hundreds of thousands of guests!

Whether you're Italian or simply Italian at heart, come experience la dolce vita — with food, music, fashion, and love filling the air. Mille baci from us to you!

🔗 Discover all upcoming events in Vancouver at Vancouver Page – Discover Local Events.